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WILKES-BARRE — The Stanley Cup weighs 34.5 pounds, but probably feels as light as a feather to those fortunate enough to hoist it as an NHL champion.

An Olympic gold medal, meanwhile, checks in at just over one pound, but the emotional weight it carries can make it feel infinitely heavier around a champion’s neck.

Christian Thomas and his teammates on the Canadian men’s ice hockey team are hoping to experience the latter on Feb. 25 as champions at the Pyeongchang Winter Games.

“They’re both amazing achievements,” the current Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward said after a recent practice. “You have an opportunity to win either one, it’s unbelievable. My dad (Steve Thomas) played 20 years and didn’t win a Stanley Cup, so that trophy’s not easy to win, either.

“This is my chance to possibly win a gold medal. Probably my only chance, so I’m going to give it the best I can.”

Team Canada’s quest will begin in earnest on Feb. 15 against Switzerland, but this moment is more than 25 years in the making for Thomas.

THE PATH HERE

Hockey has been part of Thomas’ life since his birth on May 26, 1992. He loved the sport from a really young age and said he always walked around sporting a mini-stick and helmet. At his father’s games, he would often play hockey in the wives’ room with the other kids instead of actually paying attention.

Steve Thomas played 1,235 games in the NHL for six different teams, including the Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs. That meant that Christian, a Toronto native, and his family moved around quite a bit growing up.

“We pretty much moved to every city he played for,” Thomas said. “He’d always bring me to the rink, either before or after practice. I’d go on the ice, maybe skate with some guys, pass the puck. Some goalies might stay out and let me shoot on them, so it was really cool. I was always around the room.

“For me, I was young and didn’t know any better. I thought it was normal. But, looking back on it, it was pretty special.”

As he embarked on his own youth career, Christian idolized his favorite player, Steve Yzerman of the Red Wings. When he reached the minor hockey level, he had the opportunity to play in his home city and under his father’s tutelage.

That’s when he knew he wanted to be a hockey player for a living.

And being in Toronto, the epicenter of the hockey world, Thomas got an early taste of how important the Olympics were in Canada. He compared it to the Super Bowl in the U.S., where most everyone is focused on the Games and their team’s performance.

“Back then, it was a dream,” he said. “Now, having an opportunity to play, it’s kind of crazy.”

GETTING THE CALL

Christian was drafted 40th overall by the New York Rangers in 2010, the result of a stellar junior career in which he scored 137 goals over five seasons.

He has played 27 NHL games for three different teams, but struggled to replicate those offensive numbers as a pro until last season. He scored 24 goals for chief Wilkes-Barre/Scranton rival Hershey.

This offseason, he signed an AHL contract with the Penguins, which would prove key to his Olympic hopes after players on NHL contracts were not allowed to participate.

“Coming in here, it was a great opportunity for myself,” Thomas said. “They’ve been great with me, Pittsburgh. They’ve allowed me to play in these tournaments.”

“These tournaments” were the Karjala and Spengler Cup events. Team Canada used the showcases in Finland and Switzerland, respectively, as evaluators in putting together its final Olympic roster.

So, twice this season, Thomas left Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for an extended time to chase his dream.

He recorded only two points in seven total games, but said he felt like his Spengler line had earned the trust of Canadian head coach Willie Desjardins. He also believed the larger ice surface suited his speed and playing style.

That cautious optimism was answered on Jan. 10, when Thomas was finishing up a Penguins practice at the Toyota SportsPlex and peeked at his phone. He had four missed calls, all from a Calgary location.

He dialed back and wound up in a conference call with his father and the staff from Team Canada.

“I guess he got on the phone a second before me and they broke the news to him,” Thomas said. “He was the first guy to tell me what happened.”

Christian had made the team.

“He was very excited. It was very exciting for me and my family, and his reaction was something I’ll never forget.”

WHAT’S TO COME

Thomas left the Penguins on Jan. 27 to join his new teammates in Riga, Latvia for a couple exhibition games in advance of the tournament.

Accompanying him in Pyeongchang will be his father, mother, sister and uncle.

“I’m sure my first game will compare to my first NHL game,” Thomas said. “It was a crazy moment. I was very excited to be there and very excited to play. I’m sure it’ll start off like that, and then I’ll start to get more comfortable. The nerves will go away.”

He is also excited to take in the atmosphere around the Olympic village and some of the other sports, if time allows. If he can meet one other athlete competing at the Games, Thomas hopes it’s U.S. snowboarding legend Shaun White.

Penguins coach Clark Donatelli, who competed for Team USA in the 1988 and 1992 Games, instructed him not to take any moments for granted.

“Soak it all up,” Donatelli said. “It goes pretty quick. That’s one thing I did tell him is enjoy every moment, spend some time in the village, get out and see other events.”

Thomas is expecting every opponent to bring its best when his team is on the ice. Even without current NHL players, this is, after all, the same Canada team that has won nine gold medals.

However, he’ll lean on his experience in the tournaments and the support of his family as he helps his 24 teammates try to prove their team truly is the best in the world.

“Once the games start, it’s all business and we have to win hockey games,” he said. “We have big expectations, you know. We’ve got to win.”

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